The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Tay Garnett

Writers:

Harry Ruskin (screenplay) and
Niven Busch (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

2 May 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Their Love was a Flame that Destroyed!

Plot:

A married woman and a drifter fall in love, then plot to murder her husband... but even once the deed is done, they must live with the consequences of their actions.

Plot Keywords:

Drifter | Murder | District Attorney | Murder Of Husband | Marriage

Cast

Lana Turner	...	Cora Smith
John Garfield	...	Frank Chambers
Cecil Kellaway	...	Nick Smith
Hume Cronyn	...	Arthur Keats
Leon Ames	...	Kyle Sackett
Audrey Totter	...	Madge Gorland
Alan Reed	...	Ezra Liam Kennedy
Jeff York	...	Blair
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Philip Ahlm	...	Photographer (uncredited)
John Alban	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Morris Ankrum	...	Judge (uncredited)
King Baggot	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Betty Blythe	...	Customer (uncredited)
Paul Bradley	...	Man (uncredited)
Wally Cassell	...	Ben (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Dick Crockett	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Oliver Cross	...	Man (uncredited)
James Darrell	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Tom Dillon	...	Father McConnell (uncredited)
Edward Earle	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Jim Farley	...	Warden (uncredited)
Byron Foulger	...	Picnic Manager (uncredited)
Joel Friedkin	...	John X. McHugh (uncredited)
A. Cameron Grant	...	Willie (uncredited)
William Halligan	...	Judge (uncredited)
Bud Harrison	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Paul Kruger	...	Officer (uncredited)
Frank Mayo	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Helen McLeod	...	Customer (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Howard M. Mitchell	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Sandra Morgan	...	Matron (uncredited)
George Noisom	...	Telegraph messenger (uncredited)
Garry Owen	...	Truck Driver (uncredited)
Dorothy Phillips	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Dan Quigg	...	Man (uncredited)
Virginia L. Randolph	...	Snooty Woman (uncredited)
Paula Ray	...	Woman (uncredited)
Hilda Rhodes	...	Customer (uncredited)
Walter Ridge	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Edward Sherrod	...	Man (uncredited)
Reginald Simpson	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Officer (uncredited)
John M. Sullivan	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Charles Williams	...	Doctor (uncredited)

Directed by
Tay Garnett

Writing credits
Harry Ruskin		(screenplay) and
Niven Busch		(screenplay)
James M. Cain		(novel)

Produced by
Carey Wilson	....	producer

Original Music by
George Bassman
Eric Zeisl		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Sidney Wagner		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
George White

Art Direction by
Randall Duell
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Lewis	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene	....	costume supervisor
Marion Herwood Keyes	....	associate costume supervisor
Helen Scovil Roup	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Ted Duncan	....	orchestrator

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Loew's (produced by) (as Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1946) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (new 35mm print)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1947) (France) (theatrical)
• Rosebud (2005) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Emerald (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:18A (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #11240) | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1996)

Filming Locations:

Norwalk Train Station, Norwalk, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

It took 12 years to adapt the explicit material (by 1940 standards) of the novel into a screenplay tame enough to comply with the Production Code prevalent at the time.

Goofs:

Continuity: Frank and Cora are further apart, then closer together, when they get home from the late night swim.

Quotes:

Cora Smith: I want to make something of this place, I want to make it into an honest-to-goodness...
Frank Chambers: Well, aren't we ambitious.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Careful What You Wish For (2004)

Soundtrack:

There is a Tavern in the Town

Superior film noir

Lana Turner and John Garfield generate sparks in this excellent crime thriller. Turner plays Cora Smith, a restless young waitress married to a much-older man who runs the roadside diner. Garfield plays Frank Chambers, a drifter who turns up at the diner and is captivated by Cora. Cecil Kellaway is great as Cora's naive husband Nick, whose main concern is the diner. The fact that it is filmed in black and white helps create the suspenseful atmosphere and highlight Cora's striking cream outfits. This is far superior to the 1981 remake, for although it was made under a strict production code, it smolders with desire and tension and is an unforgettable classic.